National Reunification

Down through the ages the Korean nation has lived in this land as a homogeneous nation with one culture. However, now the Korean people are suffering the tragedy of national division due to the schemes of the foreign forces. Half a century has already passed since the nation was divided into the north and the south.

A ferroconcrete wall runs 240 kilometres along the front line south of the Military Demarcation Line as a barrier across the Korean peninsula. The separated families and kinsmen do not hear what has happened to each other, alive or dead, let alone visit each other; meanwhile, the generations are changing. The national division prevents the coordinated use of the country's natural wealth and the inexhaustible strength and talents of the people for the prosperity of the country.

The problem of Korea's reunification presents itself not only as an internal problem of the Korean nation but also as an urgent task of the times for the world peace.

The Government of the DPRK has advanced proposals for the independent, peaceful reunification on more than 200 occasions up to now.

Three Principles of National Reunification,

In his speech on August 6, Juche 60 (1971), President Kim Il Sung gave an analysis of the domestic and foreign situation which was developing in favour of national reunification and put forward a policy for holding negotiations on a broad scale. He declared that the north was always ready to have contact with the Democratic Republican Party, the then ruling party of south Korea, or individual personages. This proposal marked an historic turn in the struggle to realize the cause of Korea's peaceful reunification.

When the proposal was made public, the voice of the people at home and abroad, demanding that the proposal be met, grew irresistible. The south Korean authorities, which had previously opposed any contacts between the north and the south, had no choice but to agree to the opening of a dialogue, though initially only in the form . of Red Cross talks.

In August Juche 60 (1971), the first contact took place between the representatives of the north and south Korean Red Cross organizations. Dialogue was opened at last. A breach was made in the barrier that had stood between the north and the south for a quarter of a century.

Afterwards President Kim Il Sung reiterated his principled stand on national reunification on several occasions and advanced a new proposal for extending the scope of north-south dialogue. As a result, north-south high-level talks were held separately from the Red Cross talks.

In May Juche 61 (1972), President Kim II Sung received in Pyongyang the south Korean delegates to the high-level political talks between north and south Korea. In his talks with them, the President explained the principles of national reunification, saying that the north and the south must combine their efforts for national reunification. To this end, there should be some principles which both sides should observe, he said.

He continued: "The three principles of realizing independent reunification without outside interference, achieving great national unity by transcending differences in ideas, ideals and systems, and reunifying the divided land by peaceful means without recourse to armed force, are the starting point of and the basis for the solution of our reunification question.

" The North-South Joint Statement was announced on July. 4, Juche 61 (1972). The three principles laid down by President Kim II Sung constitute the keynote of this statement.

The announcement of the joint statement marked a definite milestone in the Korean people's struggle for national reunification. The 28th Session of the UN General Assembly endorsed the principles of independence, peaceful reunification and great national unity as the only correct principles to be observed in negotiating a settlement of the Korean reunification issue.

After the announcement of the joint statement the Government of the Republic took a number of measures to implement the agreed issues.

It put forward the five-point proposal to remove the present military confrontation between the north and the south which is the most pressing and key problem in dispelling disbelief and misunderstanding between the north and the south, deepening mutual confidence and creating an atmosphere of great national unity.

In addition, the Government of the Republic proposed to hold a political consultative conference to be attended by the representatives of political parties and public organizations and individual personages from all strata in the north and the south.

In his speech Let Us Prevent a National Division and Reunify the Country, delivered on June 23, Juche 62 (1973), President Kim II Sung advanced the five-point policy for national reunification: to remove military confrontation and ease tension between the north and south, bring about multilateral collaboration and interchange between the two parts, convene the Great National Congress composed of representatives of people of all levels and political parties and social organizations in the north and south, institute the north-south confederation under the single name of the Confederal Republic of Koryo, and enter the UN under that name.

The five-point policy for national reunification received the wholehearted support of all the peace-loving countries and people in the world, to say nothing of the entire north and south Korean people. The Fourth Summit Conference of Non-Aligned Countries acclaimed the five-point policy as being in accord not only with the interests of the Korean people but also with those of world peace. The conference expressed full support for it.

In March Juche 63 (1974), the Third Session of the Fifth Supreme People's Assembly of the DPRK proposed that a peace agreement be concluded between the DPRK and the US with a view to dispelling tension in Korea and promoting the independent, peaceful reunification of Korea in line with the new policy advanced by President Kim Il Sung. In the then situation which brought Korea to the brink of war, this proposal mirrored the earnest desire of the Korean people for a genuine guarantee of relaxation of the tension prevailing in Korea and acceleration of independent and peaceful reunification on the principle of national self-determination. For this reason, it was welcomed by peace-loving people throughout the world who urged the US to accept it in good faith.

The US made no response to this peace proposal.

In an effort to remove the danger of war and of permanent national division and to accelerate independent, peaceful reunification, the joint conference of representatives of political parties and public organizations of the Republic held in January Juche 66 (1977) produced the lour-point proposal for national salvation: to establish unity between the socialist forces in the north and patriotic democratic forces in the south, who aspire after reunification; to ease tension between the north and the south and remove the danger of nuclear war; to eliminate the cause of discord within the nation and create an atmosphere of great national unity; and lastly to convene a north-south political consultative conference of the representatives of political parties, public organizations and people of all strata as a forum for discussion of these issues.

In January Juche 68 {1979), the Central Committee of the Democratic Front for the Reunification of the Fatherland convened the joint meeting of political parties and public organizations in the northern half of Korea at the suggestion of the Workers' Party of Korea and made an important new proposal. The main tenets of this proposal were that spirit and principles of the July 4 North-South Joint Statement should be reaffirmed, mutual slander should cease, all military activities should be unconditionally discontinued, and a pan-national conference should be held. Then the committee took a series of practical steps to put the proposal into effect.

Plan for the Founding of the Democratic Confederal
Republic of Koryo, 10-Point Programme
of the Great Unity of the Whole Nation

President Kim Il Sung advanced a plan for founding the Democratic Confederal Republic of Koryo at the Sixth Congress of the Workers' Party of Korea in October Juche 69 (1980).

He stated that the most realistic and reasonable way to reunify the country independently, peacefully and on the principle of great national unity was to draw the north and south together into a confederal state, leaving the ideas and social systems existing in the north and south as they were. He therefore proposed a new plan to reunify the country by founding a confederal republic through the establishment of a unified national government on condition that the north and the south recognize and tolerate each other's ideas and social system, a government in which the two sides are represented on an equal footing and under which they exercise regional autonomy respectively with equal rights and duties.

He recommended that in the unified state of a confederal type a supreme national confederal assembly should be formed with an equal number of representatives from north and south and an appropriate number of representatives of overseas nationals and that this assembly should organize a confederal standing committee to guide the regional governments of the north and south and to administer all affairs of the confederal state.

He added that it would be a good idea to call the confederal state the Democratic Confederal Republic of Koryo.

The DCRK should be a neutral country which does not participate in any political, military alliance or bloc. As a unified state, embracing the whole of the territory and people of the country, it should pursue a policy which agrees with the fundamental interests and demands of the entire Korean people.

With its sincere efforts to achieve the peaceful reunification by founding the DCRK, the Government of the Republic put forward several new overtures for peace.

Early in Juche 73 (1984) the Republic proposed holding tripartite talks among the DPRK, the US and south Korea to conclude a peace agreement between the Republic and the United States, in place of the Armistice Agreement, and to adopt a nonaggression declaration between the north and the south, as a fundamental step towards peace on the Korean peninsula. Then in Juche 75 (1986) it took the initiative in suspending military exercises to help ease the tension and offered new proposals for talks between the military authorities and for converting the Korean peninsula into a nuclear-free peace zone.

In his policy speech delivered at the First Session of the Eighth Supreme People's Assembly on December 30, Juche 75 (1986), President Kim II Sung proposed holding high-level political and military talks between the north and the south in order to settle the urgent question of national reunification.

In his policy speech President Kim Il Sung said that if the north-south high-level political and military talks and dialogues in other spheres succeed, the north-south summit talks might be held to discuss the fundamental questions regarding national reunification.

In its statement dated July 23, Juche 76 (1987) the Government of the DPRK advanced a new proposal on massive phased military reduction. It proposed that the north and south of Korea must reduce their armed forces and each maintain a force of less than 100,000; in parallel with this, the United States should withdraw all its forces including nuclear weapons from south Korea and dismantle its military bases there. In publishing its new overture on arms reduction, the Government of the Republic announced that it would take the unilateral step of demobilizing the Korean People's Army by 100,000 men by the end of Juche 76 (1987).

On April 6, Juche 82 (1993) President Kim II Sung published the JO~Point Programme of the Great Unity of the Whole Nation for the Reunification of the Country at the Fifth Session of the Ninth Supreme People's Assembly. It is as follows:

1. A unified state, independent, peaceful and neutral, should be founded through the great unity of the whole nation.

2. Unity should be based on patriotism and the spirit of national independence.

3. Unity should be achieved on the principle of promoting co-existence, co-prosperity and common interests and subordinating everything to the cause of national reunification.

4. All political disputes that foment division and confrontation between fellow countrymen should be ended and unity should be achieved.

5. The fear of invasion from both south and north. and the ideas of prevailing over communism and communization should be dispelled, and north and south should believe in each other and unite.

6. The north and south should value democracy and join hands on the road to national reunification, without rejecting each other because of differences in ideals and principles.

7. The north and south should protect the material and spiritual wealth of individuals and organizations and encourage their use for the promotion of great national unity.

8. Understanding, trust and unity should be built up across the nation through contact, exchange visits and dialogue.

9. The whole nation, north, south and overseas. should strengthen its solidarity for the sake of national reunification.

10. Those who have contributed to the great unity of the nation and to the cause of national reunification should be honoured.

Today the people of Korea and the rest of the world earnestly wish that advances be made in the solution of reunification question of Korea. Korea's division is a tragic legacy left by the politics of the world in the 20th century. So, its continuance to the 21st century is quite abnormal.

Three Charters for National Reunification

On August 4, Juche 86 (1997) Comrade Kim Jong Il made public the works Let Us Carry Out the Great Leader Comrade Kim Il Sung 's Instructions for National Reunification. This is a new programme which elucidaied a way to accomplish the cause of reunification. It reflects his determination to adhere to and carry out President Kim II Sung's will for reunification to the last.

In this works Comrade Kim Jong II defined the three principles of independence, peaceful reunification and great national unity, the 10-point programme of the great unity of the whole nation and the plan for founding the Democratic Confederal Republic of Koryo as the three charters for national reunification. At the same time he clarified his programme and determination to accomplish the cause of national reunification. In addition, he provided a significant guide to the realization of independent, peaceful reunification: He stressed that relations between the north and the south should be converted into a relationship of confidence and reconciliation and that the Government of the Republic would make efforts to normalize the relations with the countries which are responsible for the Korean question.

On April 18, Juche 87 (1998) Comrade Kim Jong II made public his works Let Us Reunify the Country Independently and Peacefully through the Great Unity of the Entire Nation. In this works he advanced five principles for great national unity maintaining the principle of national independence, uniting under the banner of patriotism, the banner of national reunification, improving the relations between the north and south, fighting against the domination and interference of the foreign forces and the antireunification forces, and promoting visits, contacts, dialogues and solidarity among our compatriots. This is a great charter for national unity, a development of President Kim II Sung's idea on great national unity as suited to the requirements of the developing situation.

In reflection of the desire of the whole nation in the north, south and abroad, Comrade Kim Jong II saw to it that a great national conference, a nationwide negotiation for reunification, was held in Juche 84 (1995) to mark the 50th anniversary of the liberation of the country from the Japanese colonial rule. This historic meeting held in Panmunjom confirmed that President Kim II Sung's proposal for reunifying the country through federation is the nation's common way to reunification. This was a historic event that marked a new milestone in the advance of the reunification movement of Korea.

With a clearer objective, orientation and principles, the Korean people have become able to step up their grand march for national reunification in the next millenium.